CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Becton Dickinson BDX
CEO: Tom Polen · Medical Devices · 75,000 employees
Tom Polen, CEO of Becton Dickinson (BDX), earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025. Becton Dickinson receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of B (70/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 89:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 95.5%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +3.1%.
How Becton Dickinson CEO Pay Compares
Tom Polen's $8.0M total compensation is 33% below the Medical Devices industry median of $12.0M. The 89:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 20% lower than the industry average of 111:1. Shareholders broadly support this compensation, with 95.5% approval.
Becton Dickinson (BDX) disclosed $8.0M in CEO compensation for Tom Polen. The package is structured for retention plus performance alignment, with equity awards taking the largest share.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio runs 89x. Lower ratios typically reflect companies with higher-paid workforces (financial services, technology, professional services) where the median worker pay denominator is itself substantial. Three-year performance has been roughly flat — TSR of 3.1% alongside 6.2% revenue growth. Flat performance over a multi-year window is where pay-versus-performance debates get the most heated: large compensation packages without commensurate shareholder returns are the modal complaint at annual meetings.
Shareholders ratified the compensation package overwhelmingly: 96% of votes cast supported the company's pay practices at the most recent annual meeting. Say-on-pay support above 95% is typical for well-aligned compensation programs without obvious controversy. Becton Dickinson operates in Medical Devices with 75,000 employees and $20.2B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $68.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Becton Dickinson (BDX).
Compensation Breakdown
Tom Polen's $8.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2025 includes $800K in base salary, $4.0M in stock awards, $960K in option awards, and $1.2M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2024 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2023 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2022 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Peer CEO Compensation
Tom Polen, CEO of Becton Dickinson (BDX), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tom Polen, CEO of Becton Dickinson (BDX), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Becton Dickinson has a Pay-for-Performance Score of B (70/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +3.1%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 95.5% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Becton Dickinson is 89:1. The median worker at Becton Dickinson earns $90K per year, while CEO Tom Polen earns $8.0M in total compensation.
Becton Dickinson employs approximately 75,000 people. The company operates in the Medical Devices industry within the Healthcare sector, generating $20.2B in annual revenue.